Top 5 Cat-Back Exhausts for 2022+ WRX (VB): Sound, Power, and Daily Manners Compared
A cat-back is the first mod most VB WRX owners buy — and the hardest to choose without hearing in person. Here are the five cat-backs we'd actually recommend for the 2022+ WRX, ranked by what each one does best, so you can pick by sound goal instead of guessing from clips.
1. JDMuscle 3" Cat-Back Exhaust — Our Pick, Best Value ($799)
JDMuscle [22-26 WRX] 3" Catback Exhaust is the default recommendation and the value king of the VB exhaust market. Full 3-inch piping gives the FA24 room to breathe, and the price undercuts most name-brand systems by hundreds of dollars. If you want the classic boxer rumble amplified — noticeable in the cabin, not obnoxious on the highway — start here. It's our own brand, built to our spec, and it's the one we'd bolt onto a daily driver without hesitation.
2. ETS Cat-Back Exhaust — Most Refined
ETS [22-26 WRX] Cat-Back Exhaust is built in-house from true 3.0-inch T304 stainless steel, running from the mating flange through a V-banded midpipe that splits into dual 3-inch pipes and finishes with quad 3.5-inch double-wall tips. Choose the Extreme (muffler-less) or Muffled configuration, with or without a resonator, and polished, anodized blue, or stealth black tips. The grown-up pick: deep, clean tone with real attention to drone control.
3. AWE Track Edition — Loudest, No Apologies
AWE Tuning [22-26 WRX] Track Edition is the loud, unfiltered member of AWE's exhaust suite. It keeps the Touring Edition's mid-pipe bullet-style resonator but drops the drone-canceling 180 Technology resonators — raw, aggressive boxer rumble in and out of the cabin at all speeds. Buy this if your neighbors already hate you. If they don't yet, get the Touring Edition instead.
4. Borla S-Type — Best Daily Driver
Borla [22-26 WRX] S-Type is tuned specifically for the 2.4L turbocharged VB engine, bringing out the Subaru rumble with an aggressive tone and no drone, finished with polished tips. This is the pick for the owner who wants the car to sound like a WRX every day without dreading highway trips.
5. Remark R1-Spec Titanium — Lightest Pick
Remark [22-26 WRX VB] R1-Spec Titanium is a single-exit system: full 3-inch mandrel-bent 304 stainless piping feeding a lightweight titanium rear muffler with a 4.5-inch burnt-finish slant-cut tip. Louder than Remark's street systems, and the single-exit layout drops real weight off the rear. The JDM single-exit look is a bonus.
Quick comparison
| System | Price | Character | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| JDMuscle 3" Cat-Back | $799 | Balanced, deep | Best value / our pick |
| ETS Cat-Back | — | Refined, deep | Premium tone, minimal drone |
| AWE Track Edition | — | Maximum volume | Loudest, no compromises |
| Borla S-Type | — | Aggressive, no drone | Daily driver |
| Remark R1-Spec Titanium | — | Sharp, lightweight | Weight savings / JDM look |
Whichever you pick, buy for the car you actually drive — the daily deserves the Borla or a muffled ETS, the weekend toy deserves the titanium single exit. And if you're still on the fence, our JDMuscle 3" cat-back at $799 is the safest bet in the segment: real 3-inch piping, real boxer tone, and money left over for your next mod.